Miranda Lee - Scandals And Secrets

Byron laughed. ‘You mean you’re going to drop all your unfair business tactics? You’re not going to deliberately undercut our prices, even at your own expense? You’re not going to bribe any more Japanese tour guides to bypass our stores in favour of yours?’

‘That was not done with my sanction,’ she said sharply.

‘Then I suggest you get rid of your sales and marketing manager before he ruins you.’

‘I have spoken to Damian.’

‘ Spoken ? He should have been fired!’

‘He’s family,’ she sighed. ‘You must know what that’s like. I feel responsible for him.’

Celeste was surprised to see understanding soften Byron’s face. ‘Yes,’ he sighed as well. ‘I do. But one makes a lot of mistakes in the name of family responsibility.’

Celeste nodded her agreement while Byron fell silent.

‘Ava’s getting married,’ he resumed abruptly after a short interval.

‘Good lord!’ Celeste was genuinely surprised. ‘Who to?’

‘A very interesting man by the name of Vince Morelli.’

‘An Italian?’

‘An Australian-Italian. In his early thirties and handsome as the devil, though not in a typically Latin fashion. He has the colouring and the body of a Bondi lifesaver.’

‘Well, I am surprised. I’m afraid I rather saw Ava going to her grave a spinster. Are you sure he’s not after her money? As your only sister, she must have quite an inheritance.’

‘He has more than enough money of his own. Runs a construction company that specialises in building blocks of units. My solicitor says he’s rock-solid.’

She threw him a dry look. ‘I see you had him checked out.’

‘I didn’t get where I am today by being trusting, Celeste. Still, you wouldn’t have so many doubts if you saw Ava today. She’s trimmed off a lot of weight and is looking positively glowing. Being in love suits her.’

Celeste flinched inside. ‘How nice for her,’ she said a little stiffly. ‘Speaking of being in love, has Jade tied the knot yet with that hunk of a fiancé she was with at the ball?’

‘Yes, and she’s expecting a baby.’

Celeste had to fight hard this time not to show a thing on her face. ‘Really,’ she said with a falsely bright smile. ‘Is she going to stay home and give up her career?’

‘No such luck, Celeste. Kyle’s the one who’s retiring. Apparently, he fancies himself a house husband while Jade stays head of marketing at Whitmore’s.’

‘Just my luck,’ she muttered. ‘But let’s not talk about business. What’s this I hear about Nathan’s marriage being on the rocks?’

‘What rubbish!’ Byron exclaimed hotly. ‘Nathan and Gemma are extremely happy.’

‘Well, there, you see what I mean? How can one believe what one hears? Nathan’s blissfully happy with his child bride and you’re not getting married again, either. I really must stop listening to gossip. Are you sure you’re not getting married again? You’re not just trying to keep it a secret, are you?’

‘I have no intention of ever getting married again,’ Byron bit out.

‘Oh? Why’s that? Wasn’t your one experience with marriage a happy one?’

‘You know damned well what my marriage was like, Celeste.’

‘I’m not sure I do. Why don’t you tell me?’

‘I am not going to rake over old coals. Neither am I going to speak ill of the dead. Irene tried to be a good wife to me, and I did my best to be a good husband to her.’

‘But you didn’t love her.’

‘Don’t you dare talk to me about love,’ he snarled. ‘You have no concept of what love is.’

Celeste was startled by his sudden vehemence.

‘Women like you are poison to all decent men,’ he raved on in a low but highly emotional voice. ‘You make them think you love them, but you don’t. You play games with them. You turn them inside out. You fuel their desires, use their bodies, and when you’ve had enough you throw them away. Well, I called your bluff that last time, didn’t I, Celeste? I used you and I threw you away. Watch out, darling, or I might do the same thing again. After all, we both know what you are, don’t we? Not a cat. An alley-cat. I could have you just like that!’ And he clicked his fingers.

It was ironic that at that precise moment Byron was called to the witness stand. He stood up, and, without a backward glance, strode proudly from the room.

Celeste stared after him, her heart pounding madly in her chest. Outrage at his insults warred with the astonishing realisation that Byron might really have loved her once. Why else would he still be so bitter towards her? Why else hate her so virulently?

Celeste had always suspected Irene had fed him a whole lot of lies about her after she’d gone back to school, lies that had made her look very bad. Even so, Byron had been very ready to believe those lies, had been very quick to write her a ‘dear John’ letter, dismissing their affair as a temporary infatuation which he deeply regretted. He’d stated quite coldly that he wanted nothing to do with her ever again.

Celeste had been crushed by this brutal and rather confusing rejection, then shattered when a few short months later he’d married Irene.

Recalling the distress she had felt at that time hardened Celeste’s heart again. No, she decided staunchly, and clenched her teeth down hard in her jaw. Byron’s fierce antagonism towards her just now was no proof of a past love. He was simply being the same hypocritical bastard he’d always been, pretending to be holier-than-thou, judging her on standards that he himself didn’t live up to. He’d lied when he’d told her he loved her back then. Lied for the sole purpose of possessing her body. and when he’d had his fill and she’d gone back to school, he’d callously dumped her and moved on to Irene, who he’d obviously thought would bring him Campbell Jewels as well as her beautiful and undoubtedly willing body.

Men like Byron didn’t love women, Celeste accepted with a bitter cynicism. They loved sex and money and success. They loved power and position in the community. Nothing was more important to Byron than his social standing, his so-called good name. Why else would he spend so much time and money working for charity? Why else would he have taken that degenerate boy off the streets and adopted him, for heaven’s sake?

Because he wanted everyone to look up to him and say what a great man he was. How generous and good. How bloody wonderful!

But that shining reputation of his had been won at a cost. She’d been the one to pay. Yet he had the hide to tear strips off her character, as well as the gall to claim he could have her as easily as he could snap his fingers.

Like hell, she thought. Like bloody hell! There was no way she would ever let him touch her again. Never in a million years!

GEMMA’S hand trembled as she dialled. It was the hardest thing she had ever had to do but she had to do it. Nathan would be leaving soon to go to the airport to pick her up, and even she didn’t have the heart callously to let him worry when she didn’t get off that plane.

The telephone in their apartment rang and rang and rang, but he didn’t answer. It had not occurred to her that Nathan might not be home, that he might go straight from rehearsals at the theatre to Mascot Airport. But now it did, and she groaned her dismay. God, she just wasn’t thinking straight.

With her heart thudding madly in her chest, she hung up hurriedly and looked up the theatre number in the telephone book. This time, someone answered immediately, and luckily Nathan was soon located. He came on the line, sounding worried.

‘Gemma? What’s wrong, darling? Did you miss the flight?’